A Summers Day in February

The location of today's adventure was the Gallops of West Ilsley..

Hen Harrier were the target. Midweek someone had listed a pair and the usual Merlin on the berksbirds website. The sun was shining and from a previous trip's experience, there was also the chance of SEOs..  

So why not.

Things were looking up as soon as I reached the Gallop.. 

2 birds of prey, perched on different Hawthorn bushes, but they turned out to be Kestrels..  Loved up Kestrels as it turned out.. and the mood was right for both of them as they got rather friendly.

Continuing my walk up the Gallop and something large was spotted, flying low over the long grass in the distance.. Short Eared Owl..  Happy days!

I took my old camera with me today as I am yet to match the zoom capabilities on my new one.. Everytime (only 4) that I have seen SEOs I've failed to get a decent picture. Today, with 4 flying around I got lucky :o)

Corn Bunting were abundant up there and they posed quite nicely in the last moments of the golden sunshine.. A very pleasant afternoon for February.

  

Corn Bunting

And this is the sunset they were watching. 

Bittern by the bug . . . . . . grooooan.

That was one of the better titles too!

Monday 20 February, another adventure and a return to Blashford Lakes near Ringwood -The winter home of at least 2 Bittern.

I've only ever seen 1 Bittern twice before in my life time, both from close range as they flew from reedbeds. 

The first view being a very brief view as one flew away from me as I was walking around Woolhampton GP. The second was at Testwood Lakes in January 2011. Another accidentally 'flushed' bird that offered better views than the first as it tried to blend in with the reeds. (details here http://chriscountryfiles.blogspot.com/2011/02/another-day-another-tour-of-hampshire.html ). 

Blashford was listing at least 2 Bitterns and boasting that they were showing well from Ivy North Hide so a trip out with my friend Grant was arranged.

We arrived at Blashford at Noon and went straight to Tern Hide. A few Goldeneye, Goosander and the usual Cormorants, Grebes and more common types of Gulls, but the water was generally quiet. 5 Barnacle Geese on one of the islands were a nice surprise but not much else. Grant had never been to Blashford before so seeing birds like Goldeneye was a new experience for him. I searched hard for the Smew that was supposedly on the lake, but couldn't find it.  Me and Smews have that kind of relationship.

A quick chat with a couple next to us, they had just come from Ivy and seen the Bittern!!    Game On!

Ivy North was packed! Someone had arranged the benches to their convenience (and nobody elses) and set up camp in the corner..  How kind.. The rest of us were being polite ish.. and gazing, with consideration to others, through the fixed glass, We didn't have to wait long. Within 10 minutes a Bittern appeared, actually from right in front of us.. How on earth it got there without anyone noticing - I don't know!

The thing with reedbeds is that they always get in the way.. 

No clean shots, but the best Bittern views I have ever had.

After a while, the smell of the great unwashed got too much, so we decided to go to what was a quieter Woodland Hide and have lunch. Plenty of Greenfinch, Redpoll, Chaffinch and Great and Blue Tits on show, as well as an occasional view of a Nuthatch and G S Woody..  

Then a Sparrowhawk flew over and everything disappeared.....  for a long time!!

A return to Ivy and again, after a 10 minute wait, we were greeted with 2 Bittern.. 

Both no more than 10 metres away and really not bothered about hiding.

It was really hard to leave when you're watching a Bittern, but time was pressing on.. 

A return to Tern Hide and a good view of a Peregrine through the scope - then the news that Bewicks and a Whooper are at Harbridge... Gotta be worth a look on the way home as its just down the road, especially as Grant is, shall we say -  a bit keen on taking pictures of Swans.

Harbridge has a fabulous stone River Bridge that one day, when I've figured out how and when, will lend itself to an amazing picture, but not today. 

Swans were plentiful. Many Mute Swans in the surrounding fields, then we spot 5 Bewicks in a small piece of water in a field. Nice..

The tip was to head to the field behind the Church.. Here, what started out as around 40 Mute Swans ended up as over 200 grazing in the fields surrounding us! As we stood there, more and more flew in.. Keen not to miss out, 2 Egyptian and many Greylag Geese flew in, the 5 Bewick Swans circled and then....  a lone Whooper Swan flew over us and into a field behind.. 

All 3 UK Swans in one space -in the space of 5 minutes - and not at a Reserve! 

Doubt that will ever happen to me again :o)

Incoming Mute Swan.

The Bewicks flying over.